3 Count: Tumblr Dry

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1: Tumblr Is Now Blocking Uploads of Infringing Content…

First off today, Paul Resnikoff at Digital Music News reports that Tumblr, hot on the heels of a massive music takedown spree, has also begun blocking infringing uploads before they reach the site, instead directing users to legitimate alternatives that they can post and share instead.

Earlier this week Tumblr drew controversy for the removal of a slew of unlicensed music clips, many of which had been online for months or years. Those takedowns counted toward the site’s “three strikes” policy on copyright infringement and resulted in at least some accounts being shuttered.

Now Tumblr is also blocking uploads of unlicensed music, pointing users to YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify versions of the same song, all of which can be embedded legally on the site due to licensing arrangements rights holders have with those companies.

2: Pirate Hunter Daniel Macek’s Evidence, Integrity Under Fire in Australian Landmark Web Piracy Case

Next up today, Ben Grubb at The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Daniel Macek, a technical analyst for Maverick Eye UG, a company that tracks BitTorrent traffic to determine potential targets for litigation, is under attack in Australia as cross examination shows that he did not prepare his expert witness affidavit and could not testify at length about how the timestamp files were created.

The case actually centers around Dallas Buyers Club LLC, owners of the film by the same name, and their efforts to sue file sharers in Australia. The company targeted local ISP iiNet, demanding that they turn over the identities of suspected file sharers but iiNet has been battling the case. Macek was brought in as an expert witness to testify about the validity of Maverick Eye’s reports, which Dallas Buyers Club uses.

iiNet is now claiming that, since it is unclear if the timestamps are valid, that the evidence be discarded and the lawsuit should be tossed. The judge has to decide what should be next for the case, which is concluding the preliminary discovery hearing that this testimony was part of.

3: YouTube Blocks Game of Thrones Trailer on Copyright Grounds

Finally today, Ernesto at Torrentfreak writes that Australian pay TV company Foxtel recently linked to a trailer for the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, only to have the video blocked by Home Box Office (HBO) Singapore, preventing it from being viewed in Foxtel’s native country.

Foxtel recently acquired the exclusive right to show Game of Thrones in Australia, even preventing it from being placed on iTunes and similar services. To highlight and promote the upcoming season, Foxtel linked to a copy of the trailer found on YouTube, only to have it blocked. The move has also impacted dozens of other sites that have posted the trailer.

The move was, most likely, an accident caused by the trailer or content in it being mistakenly included in YouTube’s Content ID system. However, as of this writing, the video has been restored and the matter seems to be resolved.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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